Standard metallographic procedures are normally practiced at room temperature on relatively hard materials such as steel, refractory materials, even aluminum, and typically the samples are of such dimensions that there is little concern about destroying a sample by over polishing. Failure analysis or characterization of electronic materials especially very soft solders and some polymers presents unique challenges. Soft materials are removed rapidly during grinding making it difficult to control end point especially if the area of interest is very small. Soft materials often deform or smear, rendering it impossible to delineate interfaces and boundaries. Chips of harder materials surrounding the soft material or the grinding material itself often become embedded and cannot be removed. Lowering the temperature of the samples to be ground usually hardens the material allowing more controlled grinding and also reduces deformation. Cold polishing techniques are well known for these purposes but tend to be used for specific purposes and on a small scale.
Accordingly it is highly desirable to provide apparatus and a method of overcoming these problems.